Dweeks Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Anyone ever been to see this Tempest masterpiece? I've now seen it 3 times (2 pro productions, one am-dram... made me feel quite ill!! ** laughs out loud **). I saw the original production in the early 90's definitely the best! The green 'tentacles' would reach down from the pros of the Swan Theatre, Wycombe and pick up Cookie, very cool indeed. The next time I saw it they'd changed the set, cast and no tentacles :** laughs out loud **:. Instead they had these inflatable arms that came shooting onstage from the sides, not quite the same as they didn't lift the cast. Probably H&S or something. The musics great, such a funny show too! Anyone seen it/been involved? (I'm listening to the soundtrack atm and thought I'd never seen anything about it on here!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Anyone ever been to see this Tempest masterpiece?SNIP(I'm listening to the soundtrack atm and thought I'd never seen anything about it on here!)<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yep, saw it 10+ years ago, and I quite agree. However, 21 hits for a search on "Forbidden Planet" in the Blue Room... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 The original tour visited the North Wales Theatre when I was working there in the mid 90's. I seem to recall it being one of the loudest pieces of theatre I've ever seen. :** laughs out loud **: (The row of 2x18" subs lying on their sides across the orchestra pit lift probably went some way towards helping with that!) I think we might have been the last venue at which the 'tentacles' got used - I certainly recall them being left behind in our scene dock after the get-out .... Oh, and another thing - a full 72-way Avo just for the practicals in the set! Excessive? Perhaps .... ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peternewman Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 We did it at university recently. I hadn't heard of it before but I really enjoyed it, its a good fun show, but then I guess the same can be said of most musicals. PN Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul J Need Posted February 20, 2005 Share Posted February 20, 2005 Yup. See it too omany times - fab show. We supplied the video equipment for the run at The Cambridge Theatre c.1990-1994 and my other memories of it was as we offered a 60 minute call out to cover the equipment, the number of times we would get a calll at 6:30 saying "one of the cameras was not working". Upon rushing in - only to find the operator had failed to turn the flamin thing on !!! I would often stick around to watch some of the show (as I was there) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andy_s Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 I saw the original production in the early 90's definitely the best! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> The "original" production you saw in the 90's may have been very good indeed, but wasn't actually the original "original", as the show was originally written for and presented by London Bubble Theatre Company in 1983. It first saw the light of day in a tent in Blackheath. I know cos I was there! (work placement from drama school) Sound by Bobby Aitken, lighting by Ken Coker, I believe. My job was helping to wire up the lights around the mirrors in the 40ft trailer that was used to transport the tent from park to park, which became the dressing room when on site. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lightnix Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 I covered for the regular Prod LX about half a dozen times on one of the mid 90s tours (when they still had the original, flown tentacles). AFAIK the original LD was Benny Ball, with the tour lighting directed by Chris Jaeger. It remains one of the top shows, of any kind, that I've ever worked on - that guitar solo by the cook for She's Not There at the end of the first half never failed to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end :D :o I may be mistaken, but didn't it beat Miss Saigon for the SWET Best Musical Award, the year it first came out ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sam.henderson Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 Where did it disappear to, in my local big receiving house (Bristol Hippodrome), they left a big sort of graffiti mural on the back of the iron from when they must of toured there. Sam Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew C Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 I think I remember it being announced a few years back that the then current tour would be the last. Great shame. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liteman Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 I was the original Video Tech / Trombonist / Lighting Operator (Nivek) in the Everyman Theatre Productions in the early '80s. Bob Carlton was allowed to play in a proper Theatre and managed two sell out runs of the Show in the same year ( I seem to remember it cleared an outstanding Tax Bill for the Theatre).The Video kit was blagged from a Local Community Arts Group 4 or five cameras, mixer, effects generator. The "Shes not there" Guitar Solo was built from there.The return later on in the season involved LD Lawrence Doyle "borrowing " a Zero 88 Eclipse and he and I spending hours installing it.There are many tales from that season and those shows in particular. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulears Posted February 21, 2005 Share Posted February 21, 2005 I seem to remember the tentacles grabbing the science officer/gloria but am probably wrong - usually am....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dweeks Posted February 21, 2005 Author Share Posted February 21, 2005 Nope, you're probably right, it was Gloria. Its probably good they're giving the show a rest, but its still damn good! And yes I agree about the volume, incredddibly loud even in a big theatre like the Swan! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Coker Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 Indeed I did light the original and Bobby designed the sound and we're both credited in the French's acting edition.Yup, it did win a SWET award which hung in my music room until I got divorced - I was married to the MD.All the lighting effects were Solaris 250s, the projection was done by O/H projector and a long painted scroll and all the video monitors were reposessed TVs from RepoMan in the east end.The PA was the on stage monitoring from "They're Playing Our Song" - and it was really loud in those days too.I have pics of all this if anyone wants them.............they're just filling up spaceGod knows how we edited the video.............may have been a friend from Hornchurch who had a VHS editing system!! Playback was the ASM putting separate cassettes into the VHS player - when she wasn't winding the O/H projector Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audio Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 Where did it disappear to, It was at the NWT last year, and only sold about 200 tickets a night, I suspect this had something to do with its disappearence, only pulling in small audiences. The advertisers blamed poor ticket sales on a 'cartoon like' poster which put adults off the production, apparently! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gareth Posted March 10, 2005 Share Posted March 10, 2005 Where did it disappear to, It was at the NWT last year, and only sold about 200 tickets a night, I suspect this had something to do with its disappearence, only pulling in small audiences. The advertisers blamed poor ticket sales on a 'cartoon like' poster which put adults off the production, apparently!<{POST_SNAPBACK}>Nah, that's b*ll*cks. It made its first visit to the North Wales Theatre in 1996 when I was working there - the publicity at that time used the same type of poster (cartoon-style) and it sold exceptionally well. (In fact, I still have a copy of that very poster hanging on my office wall! :D) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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